


Hawks Are Supposed To Eat Spiders

by robin_writes



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: M/M, Post Captain America: Civil War, Star Wars movies, Well he did, clint lives in the vents, nests in the vents, peter discovers the vents, tony's sad, vent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-24
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2020-03-13 21:32:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,572
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18949057
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/robin_writes/pseuds/robin_writes
Summary: Peter’s not sure what to make of the too large, redundant air vent system at the Avengers Compound. He asked Mr Stark about it once, but then Mr Stark got a weird far-off look on his face and Peter made sure never to ask again.-Or Peter makes himself at home in the air vents and then Clint returns and they watch Star Wars movies together in the vents.





	Hawks Are Supposed To Eat Spiders

Peter’s not sure what to make of the too large, redundant air vent system at the Avengers Compound. He asked Mr Stark about it once, but then Mr Stark got a weird far-off look on his face and Peter made sure never to ask again.

 

With F.R.I.D.A.Y.’s help, Peter came to the conclusion that it was a system kept either for sentimental or aesthetic reasons. F.R.I.D.A.Y. had said there was a newer air ventilation system in place and the older one hadn’t worked for over a year. But the air vents looked too big and too out of place at the compound to be there aesthetically and Tony Stark wouldn’t get sentimental over ventilation. Right?

 

Aunt May gratefully took up Mr Stark’s offer of having Peter stay at the compound sometimes when she worked the late shift. This meant, over the course of a few months, Peter had a second home.

 

It was great. Mr Stark let him design his own room and gave Peter a section of his workshop. But Peter couldn’t get rid of the feeling that something was off about the air vents.

 

* * *

 

Peter couldn’t sleep. He was rolling back and forth every now and then in his bed. But he couldn’t get comfortable and he couldn’t get his mind to shut up. He was thinking about his projects in the workshop, and his school work, and Ned, and MJ and those damn useless air vents Mr Stark wouldn’t get rid of or talk about.

 

So, as quietly as he could, even though he wouldn’t be heard anyway, Peter grabbed his small, portable tool kit and stuck himself to the wall where he could unscrew the vent cover in his bedroom.

 

With his powers and his size it was easy manoeuvring around the vent shafts. He had memorised the blueprints one time when he was asking F.R.I.D.A.Y. about the system, so he knew exactly when he reached above the common room.

 

Peter’s face screwed up in confusion at the pile of blankets, packet of cookies and bottle of water laying in a sort of nest-like position. There was nobody around and the blankets were cold, so even if someone did live in the vents, they weren’t nearby.

 

The blankets were soft and made Peter yawn, so he decided to lay down and just rest his eyes for a minute.

 

The next thing he knew, F.R.I.D.A.Y. was waking him up. “Sir is looking for you Master Parker. He seemed very anxious to find your bed empty.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said, her voice echoing from the common room.

“Sorry, where is he now?” Peter hurried to find his way back through to his bedroom.

“Sir is making his way to the kitchen.”

“Tell him I’ll meet him there.” Peter stuck to the wall again when he screwed the vent cover closed, and then he hurried through to the kitchen.

 

“Where were you?” Mr Stark looked way more worried than Peter had ever seen him.

“Sorry, I was asleep.”

“You weren’t in your bed.” Mr Stark said pointedly.

“Must’ve sleep-walked. Woke up in the hall closet.” Peter wasn’t sure why he lied to Mr Stark, just that it might’ve had something to do with keeping the vent-talk to a minimum and keeping the thousand-yard stare from Mr Stark’s face.

“Right. Your Aunt called wanting to talk to you.”

“I’ll call her back.”

“Make sure you do.” Mr Stark said before disappearing with his coffee back down into his workshop.

 

After Peter spoke to May, he decided that while his projects were interesting, what was far more mysterious was the vent system and the nest he had found. He spent the day rummaging around, getting a lay of the land.

 

He found two more nests with blankets and snacks, a stale packet of Doritos, some instant ramen noodles and gummy worms. But what was more mysterious was that he found a stack of old comic books and a torch as well.

 

Peter spent the rest of the day reading the comics surrounded by a fuzzy blanket in the vents. They were awesome. Most were X-Men comics, but some were independent and a couple were vintage Captain America comics from the 50s, although those were sealed in plastic covers and Peter didn’t want to open them. But he looked reverently at the front covers.

 

Whenever Peter stayed at the compound with Mr Stark, he always spent a little time in the vents. They became a safe place for him. He eventually added some battery-powered lights that you just had to press to turn them on, and a stand for his StarkTablet on the metal wall so he could watch movies up there. He ate the snacks, and then replaced them, and then ate them again.

 

The Rogue Avengers turned up one day and Peter couldn’t breathe. He knew all about what had happened to cause the rift from F.R.I.D.A.Y. and couldn’t help himself from hyperventilating. He climbed straight into the vents and headed for the nest closest to his bedroom. They used to be heroes, and now they’re criminals. Mr Stark couldn’t have known they were there. He wouldn’t let them in otherwise. “Hey Fri, does Mr Stark know who’s downstairs?”

“I have alerted him and he is making his way to them now.” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

“Oh, okay. Good.” Peter had a better time breathing now and he turned on a movie, shuffling to get comfortable. He was asleep within minutes.

 

There was a girlish scream, then a loud bang and then muttered curses. Peter’s eyes flew open. “Shit, sorry kid. I… I didn’t know anyone would be up here.” It was Hawkeye. He was out of his combat gear and wearing what looked like very soft pajamas. “Who are you anyway?” He asked as he came closer to Peter.

“I’m Mr Stark’s intern, Peter Parker.” Peter said, rubbing his eyes and then turning fully to Hawkeye.

“Clint Barton. Nice to meet you.” Hawkeye, Clint, moved to get comfortable and settled in to watching the movie. “I see you’ve made some changes to the place.”

“Wait, you’re…? I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to practically move into your home. I can leave if you want.” Peter panicked.

“No worries. I’m glad Stark kept the vents though. You haven’t happened to see some vintage Captain America comics lying around here somewhere, have you? My boyfriend gave me the silent treatment for ages because he thought I’d lost them.”

“Uhh… yeah, they’re in the nest above the guest rooms where I found them.”

“Nest.” Clint chuckled. “You’re almost as bad as Stark.”

“Mr Hawkeye sir,”

“It’s Clint kid.” He interrupted.

“Right, well Mr Stark didn’t talk about the ventilation system when I asked about it. Do you… do you think it was because you lived up here?” Clint was shocked.

“Stark and I were never friends, not properly. But I could see how he wouldn’t want to talk about it.”

 

They were both solemn for a moment until Peter turned. “Do you want a soda? I want a soda.” He declared.

“Sure kid.” Clint watched amused as Peter scrambled away and dropped out of the vents.

 

He didn’t have to go far because he had some soda in the fridge in his mini-kitchen, and he was soon hurrying up the wall and into the shaft again. Clint noticed his web-shooters as he passed over the can. “I would say let’s be friends, but I’m pretty sure hawks are supposed to eat spiders.” Clint said and Peter froze. “Your secret’s safe with me kid, but maybe we can swap the movie to one of the original Star Wars films, I’m so over the prequels.” Peter’s gaze shifted to the StarkTablet on the metal wall, it was playing Episode II: Attack of the Clones.

“Of course.” Peter changed it quickly.

 

Not twenty minutes into Episode IV, there was clanging and then red hair appeared, attached to the Black Widow. Peter gaped at her. And she stared right back at him. “Clint, why is there a child in your ventilation shaft?”

“Hey, I’m sixteen. I’m practically an adult.” Peter said defensively.

“Wait…” The Black Widow looked at Peter, calculating. “Why is Spider-Man in your ventilation shaft?” She amended. Peter groaned.

“Don’t you know that a secret identity is meant to stay a secret?” He said, grumbling. “How’d you know anyway?” Peter asked in a softer tone.

“The airport in Berlin. You’re rather small for a superhero.” She said and Peter huffed. “I’m Natasha.”

“Peter.”

“It’s nice to meet you properly маленький паук.”

“What does that mean?” He asked.

“Little spider.” Natasha replied and he blushed.

 

The three ended up watching the end of Episode IV together. Peter decided then that he would stay out of the vents as much as he could. Now Clint was back, it felt more like he was invading Clint’s space than before when it was a nameless person who used to live in the vents.

 

Clint managed to shake him out of that opinion though when he dropped down into Peter’s bedroom after a week saying he was bored and he had soda, gummy worms and Episode V ready to play in the nest. Peter didn’t take more convincing than that.


End file.
